How Can I Be Even More Eco Friendly?

by Paul M April 2, 2021

One of the ways to reduce hazardous waste is to carefully consider your purchase of commercial products. Some products are simply safer to use than others. Also, using some natural products, such as vinegar or baking soda, to clean is more eco-friendly.

You do have alternatives to plastics, commercial cleaners, polishes, and similar items. Again, carefully review your choices to make the planet safer and more environmentally sound.

HHW (Home Household Waste) Products

Some of the products you need to scrutinize include the following:

Toilet cleaners
Multipurpose household cleaners
Laundry detergents
Dish soap
Dishwashing machine pods and gels

Making Substitutions

To get started, you might consider the following products and making substitutions with more natural substances or items.

Instead of drain cleaner, clear drains with a snake line or plunger.

Clean windows or mirrors with 1 tablespoon of lemon juice or vinegar in a quart of lukewarm water. Use this instead of glass cleaner. Spay the mix on and wipe with a soft clean rag or paper towel made of bamboo.

Replace furniture polish by using 1 teaspoon of lemon juice in a pint of vegetable oil or mineral oil. Wipe with a soft and clean rag.

Substitute rug deodorizer with baking soda. Liberally sprinkle baking soda on the rug, waiting about 15 minutes before vacuuming. Repeat, if needed.

Instead of using a chemical, such as silver polish, boil 3 inches of water with salt and 1 teaspoon of baking soda, in a shallow aluminum pan for 3 minutes. Submerge your silver in the boiling liquid and boil for an additional 3 minutes. Wipe away the tarnish. Repeat, if needed.

Replace mothballs with dried herbs, such as rosemary or lavender.

Disposing of HHW Products

While hazardous wastes are considered corrosive, toxic, or reactive, wastes generated from regular household activities, such as routine yard or home maintenance, are excluded from the definition of hazardous wastes.

Home household waste (HHW), under the law must be generated on a temporary or permanent residence and the waste stream must be made of materials mainly created by consumers inside their homes.

You should check your state’s laws about HHW, as it is regulated at a state or local level. Find out what measures are taken to dispose of this type of waste. With that being said, it is still better to find more natural and toxic-free solutions to HHW – solutions that will make you feel confident about cleaning your home and eliminating environmental hazards.

Making a Substitute in Kitchen Bags

To clean up the HHW or other waste in your house, have you also considered what type of kitchen bags you are using?

Regular plastic kitchen bags linger in landfills for hundreds of years. They also threaten wildlife and pollute waterways and large bodies of water. If an animal gets caught up in one of these bags, it often is suffocated and dies. Therefore, it is important to find a biodegradable substitute.

Fortunately, you can switch out the plastic bags you are using now and replace them with a biodegradable bag, called BagUps. This kitchen bag, which is assembled by veterans and people with disabilities, comes in a recyclable cardboard box. You can dispense the bag easily, as well – as easy as removing a tissue from a tissue box.

BagUps are made to biodegrade in 24 to 36 months, so they do not take up space in a landfill for a long time. Not only are you reducing landfill waste, you are also making things safer for wildlife.

If you want to make one substitute that will make a major difference in reducing waste and improving the environment, place an order on the BagUps site. You can order by subscription, thereby you will never run out of the convenient and degradable bags.

Ways You Can Ecologically Reduce Waste at Home

To reduce waste at home, you can also do the following:

Use insulation to reduce energy costs that is made of recycled paper, glass, and other restored items.
Clean and maintain tools, outdoor furniture, and toys to protect them from outside or environmental damage and to keep them from being discarded in landfills. Donate the items instead of throwing them out.
Switch off lights and unplug plugs to reduce electricity consumption and promote a longer life for your lights.
Keep rechargeable batteries on hand for your flash lights in case of a power outage due to a storm. If you do use replaceable batteries, use only those with a low mercury content.

Questions to Ask and Answer

What have you done to improve the environment? What eco-friendly products have you used or do you use? What items do you have that you can donate or repurpose?

Do your part in making the planet a cleaner and safer place to live. If you have not done so already, add products, like BagUps, on your shopping list of items that are both sustainable and eco-friendly.

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Have questions about how you can help save the planet?

Want to join the thousands of others committed to a cleaner tomorrow?

Get a BagUps subscription today.

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Additional Information About Saving The Planet

The Case Against Plastic

Biodegradable Explained

Environmental Sustainability

Eco Friendly Blog

Kitchen Gadget

Home Recycling